Red Sea to be plastic bag free by 2009
Hurghada Environmental General Magdi Kubeissi, the Governor of the Red Sea, has decreed that the Red Sea will be the first plastic bag free Governorate in Egypt, from 1st January 2009.
Plastic bags are a problem because they represent a significant risk to birds, dolphins, and turtles - who can mistake the bags for jellyfish.
Recently, Ireland introduced a bag tax, which led to a 90 per cent reduction after its introduction in 2002. In 2007, the biggest supermarkets in France imposed a ban on free carriers. They now charge between 2p and 42p for reusable bags. This has removed millions of free bags from high streets and the French government will impose an outright ban in 2010.
Typically plastic bags are used for only 20 minutes before being thrown out; but they will each take up to 1,000 years to rot away.
Plastic bags are a problem because they represent a significant risk to birds, dolphins, and turtles - who can mistake the bags for jellyfish.
Recently, Ireland introduced a bag tax, which led to a 90 per cent reduction after its introduction in 2002. In 2007, the biggest supermarkets in France imposed a ban on free carriers. They now charge between 2p and 42p for reusable bags. This has removed millions of free bags from high streets and the French government will impose an outright ban in 2010.
Typically plastic bags are used for only 20 minutes before being thrown out; but they will each take up to 1,000 years to rot away.
Labels: environment, red sea
posted by Tom at
10:56
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